{"id":1126,"date":"2020-04-30T15:30:39","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T15:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/blog\/?p=1126"},"modified":"2021-01-27T17:04:01","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T17:04:01","slug":"heres-why-everyone-should-prioritize-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/30\/heres-why-everyone-should-prioritize-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s Why Everyone Should Prioritize Sleep"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Ah, sleep. A sometimes-elusive, but absolutely necessary bodily function with a seemingly endless number of benefits for physical, mental and emotional health. And still, many don\u2019t prioritize it as they should. In case you need convincing of the importance of proper rest, we\u2019ve compiled a list of the top three reasons that better sleep should be at the top of your to-do list for a healthier mind and body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. It Can Make You More Productive During the Day<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No matter your schedule or job, we all have checklists of tasks to complete each day. Productivity and concentration are important to completing those tasks, and sleep is one key way to improve these cognitive abilities. It is well-recognized that a lack of sleep negatively affects performance, attention, and productivity<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. It Can Naturally Help Prevent Anxiety<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Anxiety is an issue that plagues millions of Americans, and its connection to sleep is starting to become more clear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one recent study<\/a>, a group of young adults was asked to watch an unsettling video after a night of poor sleep, and then after a restful night\u2019s sleep. The researchers found that a sleepless night raised anxiety levels by 30%! Conversely, in a follow-up experiment to the one linked previously, sleep researcher Matthew Walker of the University of California Berkeley and his colleagues confirmed that people who had the highest<\/em> amount of deep sleep experienced the least<\/em> anxiety the next day. While the connection between sleep and anxiety is still being studied, research like this shows that it may be worthwhile to prescribe sleep hygiene improvements to those with anxiety disorders to the potential benefit of both their sleep and anxiety. If you experience anxiety, it won\u2019t hurt to implement strategies to improve your sleep habits (more on that below).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. It Can Help Stabilize Your Mood<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many of us know from personal experience that sleep (or lack thereof) can have a drastic impact on our mood. A recent study<\/a> confirmed the effects that a lack of sleep has on the emotion of anger, specifically \u2014 that individuals who get an adequate amount of sleep each night exhibit fewer emotional outbursts and display fewer aggressive behaviors. It may sound obvious, but maintaining a stable mood and prohibiting aggressive outbreaks is crucially important for healthy relationships, and sleep can help with both of these mood-related concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical Ways to Improve Sleep Hygiene <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n